Steps To Take When Dealing With Residential Water Damage
Being a homeowner means possibly having to deal with a water damage situation. It may seem like the worst thing ever, but if you're composed and respond the right ways, you can do your property and yourself a favor and minimize damage.
Identify Water Color
When water gets in your home, the first thing you need to do is check its color. This might sound strange, but the color of the water will dictate what you do next. If the water is clear, that's a sign of clean water, and then you can often deal with it yourself.
If, however, the water is brown or even black, you need to not touch it at all because there could be contaminants and bacteria in it. A professional company needs to deal with this water so that you don't run the risk of having the mold affect your health.
Use a Mold Detector
Once you or a professional company has dealt with the water that got into your home, get some type of mold detector and use it to detect the presence of mold. Knowing where it has accumulated is pivotal in alleviating it and getting your home to a healthier state.
You can find many sensors that are pretty accurate and they'll help you pinpoint areas that have been impacted by mold already. Once you know where these are, mark them off for you or a professional company to deal with later.
Have Home Professionally Assessed
If there was a lot of water that got into your home and the damage seems to be severe, what you need to do is have a professional company go in and assess the damage. A water restoration company, for example, can perform this analysis and let you know what you're dealing with in terms of repairs.
They'll identify structures that either need to be repaired or completely removed. You can then total these costs up at the end and have a better idea of how much water damage restoration will cost you. If you're okay with the costs, you can have the company carry out what needs to be done to get your home livable again.
There are a number of ways water can get inside your home. If this has happened, you want to respond strategically as soon as you can. You can then have water damage treated the way it needs to be handled.